In the Dark
by schubskie
Summary: Sequel to "Counting Sheep". A race against time to save three young heroes: Robin, Kid Flash, Red Arrow.
1. Chapter 1

Flash raced through Gotham.

The air cracked and whipped by his body seemingly breaking under his will alone. Dawn was fast approaching; light gray streaks shot across the sky announcing its approach over the waking city.

But he ran alone and he ran in silence.

Flash turned a corner and finally found what he was looking for; skidding to a stop short of no one else but Batman.

The Caped Crusader didn't even look up as the super approached. He continued punching coordinates into the scanner of the Batmobile.

"What are you doing?" Flash asked, walking up to the driver's side of the tank-like car. Luckily for him, the window was already rolled halfway down.

"Running an audit of every culpable cesspool in Gotham. If there's any news to be found, it'll be disclosed." He spoke nonchalantly, as if this was just your average everyday thing.

Flash had seemingly zoned out in the middle of these short two sentences, and was now looking back over his shoulder toward whence he came.

Batman sensed this and turned his head slightly in his direction.

Flash turned. "What? Oh sorry. Yeah…every _swimming pool_…"he said pensively.

"Your mind's not here," Batman stated.

Flash looked at him with a frown. After a pause he spoke. "Don't you ever think of how much _more_ we could've been there for them? After all those years of just treating them like sidekicks-"he started.

"None of that matters now. They need us to focus." Batman cut him short.

While Flash thought about this, a voice cut through the still morning air,

"_Hel-lo_! Took me a long time to find _you two_."

Flash and Batman looked up and found Green Arrow's dark figure standing on the top of a building waving. They watched him jump down from one roof to another before swinging around on a fire escape and landing gracefully on his feet.

"Next time we should set off a flare or some kind of signal," he continued as he walked over.

Batman turned back to his work. "You're lucky I didn't start yet," he semi-growled.

Flash knew he was a little peeved for G.A.'s somewhat noisy entrance. He turned to Green Arrow nonetheless. "So you've heard the news?"

"Yup. Roy told me all about it over the phone. He sounded pretty upset," he frowned.

"Yeah I told Mary and Rudy already too…" Flash's frown deepened and he didn't finish as he looked down, scratching the top of his head.

G.A. sensed his fellow super's strife. He put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey but if anyone could survive this mess, I know those three can," he offered good-naturedly.

Flash offered a weak smile as his show of gratitude.

"Are you two going to talk all day or actually get some work done," Batman cut in again, as he looked over at the two. He narrowed his eyes,

"Get in."

* * *

"_That_ didn't get us anywhere," G.A. remarked lightly as the scan was done. He was sitting in the backseat, while Flash was sitting up front.

Batman had driven them around the city so that his scanners could pick up on audio feeds from devices he planted in "cesspools" all last night. But none of those feeds gave any hint as to who had created the pathogens infecting the boys, much less how to cure them.

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place," Flash frowned, "Sometimes the general public knows more than the toughest crooks. Those guys spend all day in the dark, and your average person is out during the day."

Green Arrow nodded, looking toward Batman. "It could be affecting other people, you know."

"Unlikely," Batman narrowed his eyes in the rearview mirror. "Do you see anyone _else_ infected?"

Sure enough, as they drove down one of the main roads in Gotham everything seemed perfectly normal; no kids were losing control of their arms and legs or committing acts of tomfoolery.

"Maybe it affects just supers?" Flash shrugged weakly.

"You can't be serious." Batman shot down the suggestion, even if it wasn't a completely serious one, giving the speedster a drop dead look.

Flash's face reflected hurt.

Green Arrow leaned forward and put both his hands on the back of both chairs. "Hey. Why don't we grab a bite to eat? We'll talk it over lunch."

Flash paused, "Yeah…ok," he begrudgingly agreed.

Batman said nothing.

…But ten minutes later, he pulled up to a diner.

As the men took their seats and looked at the menu, the diner grew increasingly crowded as lunch time drew near. But G.A. saw it as all the more reason to stay.

"We'll get more privacy when we're lost in a crowd like this one," he remarked, looking around. He turned back toward his companions. "So where to next?"

"I don't know, let's ask our _Caped Crusader_" Flash bit sarcastically, glaring at The Bat across the table.

Batman glared back as Flash continued,

"_Enlighten us_, with _your _opinion."

"Knock it off," Green Arrow scolded from his seat beside Flash. He looked across the table at Batman. "And you too. We'll never get anything done if we keep bickering like this."

Batman stood up, "Then maybe we should get it done alone." He walked away.

"Batman, he didn't mean it!" Green Arrow implored after him. "Batman!"

But the door dinged, signaling his exit.

Green Arrow sat back with a sigh.

Just then, the waitress brought everyone's food.

The two men watched as Batman's sat alone on his side of the table.

Flash narrowed his eyes at it, before taking a roll.


	2. Chapter 2

As ties were breaking among the men, ties were forming between the boys.

It was Dick's third day without sleep and already he felt tired. By the looks of it, Roy and Wally felt the same.

"This isn't right," Wally said at length breaking the silence in the deathly quiet room.

"What, the fact we're all going to be dead in a month?" Roy said bitterly. "Or that we don't even know how or why?"

"No, that we're spending all the time we have left just sitting here," Wally stated simply. He sat up, looking at the two. "We should do something."

Dick sat up, "Like what? If we waste all our energy now…"

Wally shook his head, "No, I don't mean we should _leave_. It's just…" he rubbed the back of his head, trailing off. He sighed. "I don't know."

"Man, this sucks," Roy said. He was sitting up too now. "I don't want to outlast you guys."

"I don't want to outlast Wally," Dick turned to his best friend frowning.

"I don't want to go first," Wally shrugged, though the way he said it wasn't sad at all. "I mean, it doesn't bother me. But I've just been thinking…what do you think there is after _this_?"

Dick and Roy exchanged glances.

Wally grew flustered. "_You know_...in the afterlife. Like, do you guys believe in heaven or what?" He finished quickly.

"Yeah, I believe in heaven," Dick replied thoughtfully after a moment.

He and Wally looked at Roy.

The young man crossed his arms, "I'm a pessimist, not an atheist."

"Well I'm just saying," Wally resumed, gathering his companions' attention once more. "I tried not to bring this stuff up before but…well…"

Roy and Dick watched their friend with confused looks.

"You guys have people waiting for you up there. And assuming I get there," Wally paused before finally saying it, "…well I don't."

Before either boy could reply to such a bleak statement, the door to their room opened. In came Wally's parents, Rudy and Mary West, as well as Iris Allen.

"Wally!" His mother cried tearfully running toward him. She embraced her son, crying softly on his shoulder.

"Mom," Wally spoke abruptly, hesitantly embracing her back.

"We came as soon as we heard the news," Iris explained sorrowfully, closing the door.

Dick and Roy watched as his family continued to pour out loving comments.

"Your mother and I are so sorry for yelling at you earlier Wally," his father now lamented, walking forward and putting a hand on his wife's shoulder as he spoke.

"It's okay guys. Really," Wally tried to assure his family. If the situation wasn't so dire, he would probably call them out on for being so embarrassing.

"Uncle Barry will figure this out no sweat."

His comments only made his mother clutch him even tighter.

Dick watched the close-knit family starting to unravel. He now saw what Wally meant; this was the only family he had always known and had. Dick had his parents waiting for him in heaven, but Wally had no one.

Everyone he knew and loved was here. When he died, Wally would see his family as dead to him, instead of vice versa.

Dick turned away and looked out the small window of the room.

He hoped Batman could figure this out before then.


End file.
